History

History

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Main article: History of coal mining
The oldest continuously worked deep-mine in the United Kingdom and possibly in the world is Tower Colliery in South Wales valleys in the heart of the South Wales coalfield. This colliery was first developed in 1805, and its miners bought it out at the end of the 20th century, to prevent it from being closed. Tower Colliery was finally closed on January 25, 2008, although production continues at the Aberpergwym drift mine nearby.
Coal was mined in colonial America in the early 1700s, and commercial mining first occurred around 1730 in Midlothian, Virginia.[3]
Coal-cutting machines were invented in the 1880s. Before the invention, coal was mined from underground with a pick and shovel.
By 1912, surface mining was conducted with steam shovels designed for coal mining.